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Bob Boone
Robert Raymond Boone (born November 19, 1947) is a former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball who was a four-time All-Star. Born in San Diego, California, Bob Boone is the son of a major league player, the late third baseman Ray Boone, and the father of two major leaguers: former second baseman Bret Boone and Houston Astros infielder Aaron Boone. All four family members have been named All-Stars in their careers. Baseball career Playing Philadelphia Phillies Bob Boone was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the sixth round of the amateur draft after attending Stanford University, where he was admitted to the Zeta Psi fraternity. He was brought to the majors in late and while he never had excellent hitting numbers, he was a phenomenal defensive catcher, committing only eight errors and allowing only three passed balls in the season. He made the National League All-Star team three times in a Phillies uniform, and helped the team win the 1980 World Series. California Angels In , the Phillies decided to trade the veteran catcher to the California Angels, following an unproductive year from Boone, and also as a possible retaliation for Boone's key role in leading the players in negotiations during the 1981 Major League Baseball strike. But Boone rebounded by throwing out 21 of the first 34 steal attempts and helping the Angels to the AL West title, and followed in with his fourth and final All-Star appearance. On September 30, , Boone caught Mike Witt's perfect game. Boone stayed with the Angels for seven seasons and was let go in . Kansas City Royals As a free agent, he signed with the Kansas City Royals, but a broken finger in led to his retirement at age 42 following his shortened season. Boone was a career .254 hitter with 105 home runs and 826 RBI in 2264 games. He was selected an All-Star in 1976, 1978–79, and 1983. He was one of the top defensive catchers of his era, winning seven Gold Glove awards. Boone caught 2,225 games in a 19-year Major League career, a record which was later broken by Carlton Fisk (2,226). Managing He returned to the Royals in as the manager of the team, but was let go during the season after a third straight sub-.500 season. In , he was hired to be the skipper of the Cincinnati Reds, replacing Jack McKeon. However, after another two and a half sub-.500 seasons, the Reds fired Bob Boone on July 28, 2003. In , Boone was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame. Front Office He currently serves as Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Player Development for the Washington Nationals. See also *List of second generation MLB players *How to throw hard *Fast Arm External links – | before = Hal McRae | after = Tony Muser }} – | before = Jack McKeon | after = Dave Miley }} Category:Major League Baseball catchers Category:Major League Baseball players from California Category:People from San Diego, California Category:Philadelphia Phillies players Category:California Angels players Category:Kansas City Royals players Category:Kansas City Royals managers Category:Cincinnati Reds managers Category:National League All-Stars Category:American League All-Stars Category:Gold Glove Award winners Category:Stanford Cardinals players Category:Catchers Category:Managers Category:Players